Brand It

STEP FIVE

Give your business its personality. From brand name to logo and tagline, this is where you identify your voice, your company culture, messaging, and who you’re talking to.

PACE: Slow and Steady: 4 weeks |  Moderate: 3 weeks | Accelerated: 2 weeks

SPARK

And now the fun begins. How shall the world know and identify with your company, its culture?

TARGET

You will know you’ve hit your target when together the name of your company, its logo and its tagline feel authentic to your mission and purpose, and clearly represent all you hope to be in the world.

ACTION

Using the research you have conducted, identify your target market.

Revisit and tweak your mission.

Define the culture of your company.

Create your brand voice and brand promise.

—Using various brand development techniques, it is time once again to get creative.

Design and test your logo ideas. Ensure that your logo is uniquely yours.

—Share the logo with members of your target market. Get feedback.

Decide on a logo.

Add these design elements to your formal documents from Build It to create a professional package for the next round: Fund It.

REACTION

How has the creation of your logo influenced the growth of your business idea? How was your mission tweaked by the branding exercise? Did you discover a new energy in your initiative as a result of creating its public identity? What does that identity tell you about the culture you hope to cultivate with your company?

TAKEAWAY

At the close of this exercise, you will have created all you need to move to the next and final step, Fund It. Return now to all your documents, and be sure that in all your documentation, there is consistency of voice, authenticity and clarity in message, and a business plan that demonstrates your company’s capacity for success. You have come a long way. Be open to the feedback that comes to you in what will seem like the 11th hour. There is always listening to do!


STEP FIVE ROLE MODELS

TOOLS:

Research: online surveys, in person focus groups.

Organizational: online graphic design tools (see Resources)

RESOURCES:

www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/how-to-discover-your-perfect-target-customer-in-5-steps/

blog.tcdgstudios.com/...brand-creation-/-brand-development-strategy

www.creativebloq.com/branding/create-brand-identity-1233282

www.fiverr.com

www.staples.com

 

STARTER SPEAK:

Brand Voice:  This is your company’s personality in the world

Brand Promise: This is how every action your company takes lines up with its personality

Brand Brief:  A document that communicates the do’s and don’ts of your brand.

Target Market: The audience and consumers you hope will have affinity for your brand

Corporate and Brand Culture: How your brand translates into the way your company works inside and out.

Public Facing: Using your brand and culture to serve as the basis for your interaction with your target market and the greater economy.